Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Football Reporting
Football Reporting

International

Marko Arnautovic apologises and insists “I’m not racist” after heated celebration and gesture

Austria forward Marko Arnautovic has issued a statement apologising for his ‘heated words’ and the manner of his celebration after scoring against North Macedonia.

The former Stoke City and West Ham striker scored his nation’s third goal in their 3-1 victory over the tournament newcomers in Sunday’s clash in Bucharest.

The talismanic 32-year-old had been introduced as a second half substitute and played a big part in helping Austria take the game away from the underdogs.

However, despite scoring a goal which saw him take the ball away from goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski before slotting the ball home one minute from time, it was his reaction after the goal which truly caught the eye.

Marko Arnautovic appeared angry after scoring
Marko Arnautovic appeared angry after scoring
(Image: Robert Ghement/POOL/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

Rather than celebrating or appearing happy that he had opened his account for the tournament, Arnautovic appeared to be angered and possibly antagonistic.

The experienced forward seemed to be shouting a tirade of potential abuse against his opponents, leading to his national team captain David Alaba appearing to attempt to quieten him and close his mouth.

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

Arnautovic is alleged to have shouted the words “I’ll f*** your Albanian mother” in the direction of his opponents, with the striker’s apology on Monday directly referencing the people of both North Macedonia and Albania.

Arnautovic wrote on his Instagram account : “There were some heated words yesterday in the emotions of the game for which I apologise – especially to the people from North Macedonia and Albania.”

“I would like to say one thing very clearly. I AM NOT A RACIST! I have friends in almost every country and I stand for diversity. Everyone who knows me is aware of that.”

Should Marko Arnautovic face a punishment for the nature of his goal reaction? Comment below

Arnautovic’s father is Serbian, and when previously facing that nation at international level with Austria, he is quoted as saying by Futbolgrad : “I am an Orthodox Christian, my father is Serbian, and I like hearing the Serbian anthem.”

He is also quoted as previously saying earlier in his career: “I want to play for Serbia.”

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

The political situation in the Balkans has been volatile and constantly evolving since the breakup of Yugoslavia, leading to increased tensions between its nation states.

North Macedonia and Serbia are two of the nations that previously comprised the Yugoslav state, alongside Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, Slovenia and Kosovo – the latter of which is the most recent nation to be recognised by UEFA.

Indeed, North Macedonia has only been titled as such since 2018 after being renamed from simply ‘Macedonia’ due to a dispute over the name of the territory from Greece, due to the ambiguity of the historical scope of the region.

Source link

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.
2 Comments

2 Comments

  1. Lara

    June 15, 2021 at 10:52 am

    Albania has never been a part of Yugoslavia. Check your facts before posting!

    • Dave Dekker

      June 18, 2021 at 1:45 pm

      Right you are! Thanx for the attentive reading 🙂

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You May Also Like

Champions League

Mar 27, 2024, 10:42 AM ET Michelle Alozie is accomplished by any measure. She is a professional soccer player who also works at Texas...

AC Milan

AC Milan youngster Kevin Zeroli is set to renew his contract with the club until 2028, with just the official signatures now missing from...

AC Milan

AC Milan summer signings Ruben Loftus Cheek and Christian Pulisic have been likened to Frank Rijkaard and Roberto Donadoni respectively. According to La Gazzetta...

AC Milan

AC Milan youngster Francesco Camarda is requesting a surprisingly high salary for a player of his age which has cast his Milan future into...